Christ bore more than our sins, according to Isaiah, he also bore our pain and those who saw him do so responded in many ways. There were, He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you Matt. 28:7

After God’s glorious defence of Israel against the ploys of Balak and Balaam it is tragic that what happens next is an utter betray of God by Israel. In Numbers 25-26 we encounter,

After forty years in the wilderness Moses is within sight of the Promised Land. But, tragically, it is here, within sight of his life’s goal, Moses reaches his breaking point and is barred from entering Canaan

As we begin a study of Christ’s parables we begin with the fundamental question of, why did he use them at all?

What has been at the root of all Israel’s troubles has been a habit of defiance, and in Numbers 16-17 we see that the answer to that habit isn’t more legislation, but a priest – a mediator who can stand in the gap and made peace. In these chapters we see,